Sri Lanka Found Guilty of Genocide against Tamils

HAVANA TIMES — The fact that a month ago the Permanent People’s Tribunal found Sri Lanka guilty of committing genocide against the Tamil people and so few non-Tamil media has informed us of such is unjust oversight at best. I didn’t find out about this important decision until January 4. The western media, including left-wing web sites, has been silent or ignorant of this.

The Rome-based Permanent People’s Tribunal (PPT) is an outgrowth of the original war crimes tribunal created during the war against Southeast Asia by Bertrand Russell and Jean Paul Sartre.

Its panel of 11 judges, experts in international law, former UN officials, and peace and human rights activists, found Sri Lanka guilty of genocide at its December 7-10, 2013 hearings in Berman, Germany. The unanimous decision was taken after hearing over 30 witnesses, including Tamil victims, and experts.

It also found that the US and UK were guilty of complicity. A decision on whether India, and other states, had also acted in complicity was withheld for lack of time, and pending further examination.

In January 2010, a PPT panel of other international law experts, meeting in Dublin, found Sri Lanka guilty of committing war crimes and crimes against humanity. These are the same charges that a United Nations panel of experts later recommended be explored by an independent international investigation.

The genocidal coordinated plan of actions reached its climax on May 2009 (upon the defeat of the Tamil armed resistance, the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam)… The genocidal strategy changed once the perpetrators gained control of the territory. The killings are being transformed into other forms of conduct, but the intention to destroy the group and its identity remains and continues, through causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the Eelam Tamil group.

The Tribunal considers that the proofs established, beyond any reasonable doubt that the following acts were committed by the Government of Sri Lanka.

(a) Killing members of the group, which includes massacres, indiscriminate shelling, the strategy oF herding civilians into so?called “No Fire Zones” for the purpose of massive killings, targeted assassinations of outspoken Eelam Tamil civil leaders who were capable of articulating the Sri Lankan genocide project to the outside world.

(b) Causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group, including acts of torture, inhumane or degrading treatment, sexual violence including rape, interrogations combined with beatings, threats of death, and harm that damages health or causes disfigurement or injury.

(c) Deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part, including: expulsions of the victims from their homes; seizures of private lands; declaring vast areas as military High Security Zone (HSZ) to facilitate the military acquisition of Tamil land.

Further, the Tribunal considered evidence related to:

(d) Imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group including forced sterilization and coerced contraception of Eelam Tamil women. Further investigation is required on the extent of this practice in other regions before a determination is made on whether these could be considered genocidal acts.

The UK and USA guilt of complicity in the crime of genocide, includes:

– complicity by procuring means, such as weapons, instruments or any other means, used to commit genocide, with the accomplice knowing that such means would be used for such a purpose;

– complicity by knowingly aiding or abetting a perpetrator of a genocide in the planning or enabling acts thereof;

The PPT decision is most important not only for Tamils but also for left-oriented individuals, groups, political parties and governments. There can be no denial by leftists and progressive governments of the credentials of the Permanent People’s Tribunal. And as the PPT decision includes the governments of the US and UK as accomplices makes it ridiculous for those progressive governments to claim that those powers are critics or opponents of genocidal Sri Lanka. All that is lacking is for the next PPT session to amend the tally of other state accomplices to genocide, which should contain the names of India, as proposed, as well as Israel, China, Pakistan, Iran, at the very least, and perhaps Australia and other states.

I highly recommend that leftist-progressive organizations and websites, and especially solidarity groups with Cuba, Bolivia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Nicaragua (ALBA countries make these governments aware that they need to return to their original principle as internationalists who support the oppressed everywhere on earth, and cease supporting unquestionably the genocidal government of Sri Lanka.
—–(*) Ron Ridenour is a veteran journalist and author of nine books, the latest is Tamil Nation in Sri Lanka. He worked in Cuba for several years with Prensa Latina and the Jose Martí Publishers. Visit his website.

It is a national disgrace. Also China and Pakistan took an active part in what took place in Mulliayawaikkal in 2009 by using or sup[plying WMDs according to reports. Only an independent impartial UN investigation under applicable international laws can unlock the deadly past. Leaving it to SLG is a miserable exercise in perpetual futility as is so very evident.

Nallathamby Yoganathan

Well, The CUBA- SUPPOSED to BE WITH OPPRESSED PEOPLE in the world- Helped the SIN-HELLa racist FUNDAMENTALIST Srilanka against the OPPRESSED TAMILS whose only hope was the Brilliant GENUINE BRAVE FREEDOM FIGHTERS LTTE by voting with the GENOCIDAL Srilanka, Cuba have to stop supporting the ULTRA NAZI RACIST SRILANKA in future in the UN and in the world.

Obamasal

Enforced starvation of civilians within the narrow strip into which they were herded and bombed is genocide. Many babies died because of lack of milk and medicines. ‘War on Terror’ policy of former US president George Bush Jr facilitated the Sri Lankan military to destroy the arm shipments of the enemy gave a blank cheque to the security forces. But no resolution to the conflict is initiated. The military occupation of north and east add insult to injury.

Srinivasan Subramanian

why are the Tamil’s especially the Tamil tiger’s or any Tamil
organization which involves in spreading and making the world know the
Tamil’s condition in srilanka and Tamil’s right to have an independent
nation have till now lag a lot behind in creating awareness about of
srilankan genocide and convincing the leaders around the world the
need for Tamil Eelam. why have not any body thought of it, when this gap
is going to be bridged.How could such a leader like Fidel be
unaware about the reason behind the reasonable Tamil’s struggle for independent nation.

Thamilan

Fidel Castro remains a hero to the oppressed people all over the world. He is the greatest revolutionary and admired by all Tamil people. Now they are really shocked and saddened by the support given by Cuban govt to the genocidal racist Sri Lankan govt. The questions why Mr.Castro is not extending his love to oppressed Tamil people in Sri Lanka which he has done to countless people all over the world?

Srinivasan Subramanian

why are the Tamil’s especially the Tamil tiger’s or any Tamil
organization which involves in spreading and making the world know the
Tamil’s condition in srilanka and Tamil’s right to have an independent
nation have till now lag a lot behind in creating awareness about of
srilankan genocide and convincing the leaders around the world the
need for Tamil Eelam. why have not any body thought of it, when this gap
is going to be bridged.How could such a leader like Fidel be
unaware about the reason behind the reasonable Tamil’s struggle for independent nation.

Amaran

Tamils will continuously fight for freedom until we get independent TAMILEELAM. Doesn’t matter who are working against us.But many thanks people who support and understand the issue and we are thankful for those people.

Lord Shiva

Rajapakse regime is the worst criminal regime on earth and I have no idea why the International community continue to allow a terrorist and criminal regime to terrorize the minority.

The Western democratic nations and the international community should attack and invade Sri Lanka and isolate the corrupt Indian UPA regime that continues to collaborate and cover up the genocide committed against the Tamils.